Highlighting your hair is a popular way to add dimension, brightness, and style to your overall look. But is it the right choice for everyone? Before you book that salon appointment, it’s crucial to consider the pros and cons, understand the different techniques, and assess whether your hair is suitable for the highlighting process. This comprehensive guide will delve into everything you need to know to make an informed decision.
The Allure of Highlights: Why We Love Them
Highlights have been a beauty staple for decades, and for good reason. They offer a relatively non-committal way to experiment with color, subtly enhance your natural shade, and add a youthful glow.
Adding Dimension and Depth
Highlights break up a solid hair color, creating the illusion of depth and movement. They strategically place lighter strands throughout your hair, reflecting light and adding visual interest. This is particularly beneficial for those with naturally dark hair, which can sometimes appear flat without dimension.
Boosting Brightness and Radiance
Strategically placed highlights can frame the face and brighten your complexion. Lighter pieces around the face draw attention to your features and create a more radiant appearance. This is especially true for highlights that complement your skin tone.
Creating a Youthful Appearance
Highlights can soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by reflecting light away from the face. They can also add a playful and youthful touch to your overall style.
Low-Commitment Color Change
Unlike a full head of color, highlights allow you to experiment with different shades without drastically changing your natural hair color. This is a great option for those who are hesitant to make a significant change or want a more subtle transformation.
Personalizing Your Style
Highlights are highly customizable. You can choose the tone, placement, and intensity of your highlights to perfectly suit your individual style and preferences. Whether you prefer subtle sun-kissed strands or bold, contrasting highlights, the possibilities are endless.
Understanding Different Highlighting Techniques
The world of highlighting is vast and diverse, with various techniques available to achieve different effects. Choosing the right technique is crucial to achieving your desired look.
Foil Highlights
Foil highlights are the most traditional and widely used technique. The hair is separated into sections, and the highlighting product is applied to individual strands. The strands are then wrapped in foil to isolate them and allow the product to process. This method offers precise placement and control, making it ideal for creating a variety of looks, from subtle and natural to bold and dramatic.
Balayage
Balayage is a French technique that involves hand-painting the highlights onto the hair. This creates a softer, more natural-looking effect with seamless blending. Balayage is perfect for achieving a sun-kissed, lived-in look with minimal harsh lines. It is also lower maintenance than foil highlights, as the regrowth is less noticeable.
Ombré
Ombré is a technique that involves gradually lightening the hair from dark roots to light ends. This creates a dramatic, two-toned effect that is particularly popular for those with long hair. While not technically highlighting, ombré is often considered a related technique as it involves lightening sections of the hair.
Babylights
Babylights are very fine, delicate highlights that mimic the natural highlights children have. They are applied strategically around the face and hairline to create a subtle, sun-kissed effect. Babylights are perfect for those who want to add a touch of brightness without a drastic change.
Chunky Highlights
Chunky highlights, also known as “slices,” are thicker sections of hair that are highlighted. This creates a bolder, more dramatic look that was particularly popular in the early 2000s. While less common now, chunky highlights can still be a stylish option for those who want a statement look.
Assessing Your Hair’s Suitability for Highlights
Before embarking on a highlighting journey, it’s crucial to assess your hair’s condition and determine whether it can withstand the process. Highlighting involves using chemicals to lighten the hair, which can cause damage if not done properly.
Hair Type and Texture
Fine hair is generally more susceptible to damage from highlighting than thick hair. If you have fine hair, it’s important to choose a gentle highlighting technique and use a lower volume developer. Coarse hair can typically handle more intense highlighting, but it’s still important to be cautious and avoid over-processing.
Hair Condition
If your hair is already damaged, dry, or brittle, highlighting can exacerbate these issues. It’s essential to address any existing damage before highlighting your hair. Deep conditioning treatments and protein masks can help to strengthen and repair your hair before the highlighting process.
Previous Chemical Treatments
If you have recently permed, relaxed, or straightened your hair, it’s best to wait before highlighting it. Overlapping chemical treatments can cause severe damage and breakage. Consult with a professional stylist to determine the safest course of action.
Hair Color
Darker hair requires more processing to achieve lighter highlights. This can increase the risk of damage, especially if your hair is already fragile. If you have dark hair, consider opting for subtle highlights or a balayage technique to minimize damage.
The Potential Downsides of Highlighting
While highlights can be a beautiful addition to your look, it’s important to be aware of the potential drawbacks.
Damage and Dryness
The chemicals used in highlighting can strip the hair of its natural oils, leading to dryness, breakage, and split ends. This is particularly true for those with already dry or damaged hair.
Maintenance and Upkeep
Highlights require regular maintenance to keep them looking their best. As your hair grows out, the roots will become visible, requiring touch-ups every few weeks. This can be time-consuming and expensive.
Fading and Toning
Highlighted hair can sometimes fade or turn brassy over time. To combat this, it’s important to use color-safe shampoos and conditioners and get regular toning treatments to maintain the desired color.
Cost
Highlighting can be an expensive service, especially if you go to a professional salon. The cost will vary depending on the technique used, the length of your hair, and the salon’s location.
Potential for Allergic Reactions
In rare cases, some people may experience allergic reactions to the chemicals used in highlighting products. It’s important to perform a patch test before applying the product to your entire head to check for any adverse reactions.
Tips for Maintaining Healthy, Highlighted Hair
If you decide to highlight your hair, it’s crucial to take steps to minimize damage and keep your hair looking healthy and vibrant.
Use Color-Safe Shampoo and Conditioner
Color-safe shampoos and conditioners are formulated to protect your hair color and prevent fading. They are also typically gentler than regular shampoos and conditioners, which can help to prevent dryness and damage.
Deep Condition Regularly
Deep conditioning treatments can help to replenish moisture and repair damage caused by highlighting. Use a deep conditioner at least once a week to keep your hair hydrated and healthy.
Avoid Heat Styling
Heat styling tools like flat irons, curling irons, and hair dryers can further damage highlighted hair. Try to minimize your use of these tools or use them on a low heat setting. Always use a heat protectant spray before styling your hair.
Protect Your Hair from the Sun
The sun can fade your hair color and cause damage. Wear a hat or scarf when spending extended periods of time in the sun. You can also use hair products that contain UV protection.
Get Regular Trims
Regular trims help to remove split ends and prevent breakage. This will keep your highlighted hair looking healthy and vibrant.
Consider a Professional Treatment
Olaplex and similar treatments can help to repair damaged hair bonds and strengthen your hair. Consider getting a professional Olaplex treatment after highlighting your hair to minimize damage.
Choosing the Right Shade for Your Skin Tone
Selecting the right highlight shade is crucial for achieving a flattering and natural-looking result. Consider your skin tone and undertones when making your choice.
Warm Skin Tones
If you have warm skin tones with golden or yellow undertones, opt for warm highlights like golden blonde, caramel, or honey. These shades will complement your skin and enhance your natural glow.
Cool Skin Tones
If you have cool skin tones with pink or blue undertones, choose cool highlights like ash blonde, platinum, or icy brown. These shades will brighten your complexion and create a harmonious look.
Neutral Skin Tones
If you have neutral skin tones, you can experiment with both warm and cool highlights. However, it’s important to avoid shades that are too extreme, as they can wash you out.
Highlighting at Home vs. Salon: Which is Best?
While DIY highlighting kits are readily available, it’s generally recommended to get your highlights done at a professional salon.
Professional Expertise
Professional stylists have the knowledge and experience to properly assess your hair’s condition, choose the right highlighting technique, and apply the product safely and effectively.
Custom Color Mixing
Stylists can custom mix hair color to perfectly match your skin tone and desired look. This is difficult to achieve with DIY kits.
Reduced Risk of Damage
Professional stylists are trained to minimize damage during the highlighting process. They will use the appropriate volume developer and monitor your hair closely to prevent over-processing.
Even Application
It can be difficult to apply highlights evenly at home, especially in the back of your head. Professional stylists have the skills and tools to ensure an even and consistent application.
Higher Cost
Salon highlighting is typically more expensive than DIY kits. However, the investment is often worth it for the peace of mind and the superior results.
In conclusion, highlighting your hair can be a fantastic way to enhance your look and add dimension and brightness. However, it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons, assess your hair’s suitability, and choose the right technique and shade. By taking these factors into consideration and following proper maintenance tips, you can achieve beautiful, healthy, and highlighted hair that you’ll love.
Remember, if you are unsure about anything, consulting a professional hairstylist is always the best option. They can provide personalized advice and help you achieve your desired look while minimizing the risk of damage.
What are the main benefits of highlighting your hair?
Highlighting your hair can bring a myriad of benefits, primarily focusing on enhancing your overall appearance and adding dimension to your hair. Highlights can brighten your complexion by framing your face with lighter shades, creating a more youthful and radiant look. Furthermore, they can add depth and movement to your hairstyle, making it appear fuller and more dynamic, especially for individuals with fine or thin hair.
Beyond aesthetics, highlighting can also be a relatively low-maintenance way to experiment with color without the commitment of a full-head dye job. It allows for gradual changes and provides a subtle refresh to your look. Highlights can also be customized to suit your individual style and preferences, ranging from natural sun-kissed effects to bolder, more dramatic contrasts.
What are the potential downsides of getting highlights?
While highlights can enhance your hair’s appearance, it’s important to be aware of the potential downsides. The highlighting process, especially when involving bleaching, can damage your hair. This can lead to dryness, brittleness, breakage, and split ends. This damage is more pronounced if your hair is already chemically treated or naturally fragile.
Additionally, the cost of getting highlights at a salon can be significant, and maintaining them requires regular touch-ups, which adds to the expense. If you choose to highlight your hair at home, there’s a risk of uneven application, brassy tones, or further damage if you’re not careful. Improperly applied bleach can also severely damage your hair, requiring expensive professional repair.
How can I choose the right highlight color for my hair and skin tone?
Selecting the perfect highlight color involves considering both your natural hair color and your skin tone to achieve a flattering and harmonious look. For warm skin tones (those with yellow or golden undertones), warm highlight colors like caramel, honey, or copper tend to complement best. For cool skin tones (those with pink or blue undertones), cool highlight colors such as ash blonde, platinum, or icy beige often look more natural and enhance the complexion.
It’s also crucial to consider your natural hair color depth. If you have dark hair, opting for highlights that are only a few shades lighter than your base color can create a more subtle and natural-looking effect. If you want a bolder look, you can go for more contrasting highlights, but be mindful of the potential for damage and the need for more frequent touch-ups. Consulting with a professional stylist is highly recommended, as they can assess your hair and skin tones accurately and suggest the most flattering options.
How often should I get my highlights touched up?
The frequency of highlight touch-ups depends largely on the type of highlights you have, your hair growth rate, and your desired aesthetic. For subtle, blended highlights like balayage, you may only need a touch-up every 12-16 weeks, as the regrowth is less noticeable. This is because balayage doesn’t start right at the roots.
However, if you have traditional foil highlights that start closer to the scalp, you might need a touch-up every 6-8 weeks to prevent a harsh line of demarcation as your hair grows out. Regular touch-ups not only maintain the color but also help to prevent further damage by addressing new growth before it becomes too long. Consider your budget and time commitment when deciding on a touch-up schedule.
What are some ways to minimize damage when highlighting my hair?
Minimizing damage during the highlighting process requires a multi-faceted approach focusing on pre-treatment, proper application, and post-care. Before highlighting, ensure your hair is in its healthiest state by using deep conditioning treatments and avoiding heat styling. When highlighting, consider using lower-volume developers and asking your stylist to use bonding treatments like Olaplex or similar products. These treatments help to protect and rebuild the hair’s internal structure, reducing breakage.
After highlighting, invest in high-quality shampoos and conditioners designed for color-treated hair. These products are formulated to be gentle and hydrating, helping to maintain the color and prevent dryness. Avoid washing your hair too frequently, and use heat protectant sprays before using styling tools. Regular trims can also help to remove split ends and prevent further damage from traveling up the hair shaft.
Can I highlight my hair at home, or is it better to go to a salon?
While highlighting your hair at home is possible, it’s generally recommended to seek professional services at a salon, particularly if you’re a beginner or aiming for significant color changes. Salon professionals have the expertise to accurately assess your hair’s condition, select the appropriate products and techniques, and minimize the risk of damage. They can also create customized highlight placement for a more flattering and natural-looking result.
However, if you’re experienced with highlighting and comfortable with the process, you can achieve good results at home with careful planning and using high-quality products. It’s essential to follow the instructions on the product packaging meticulously, perform a strand test beforehand to assess the color and potential damage, and have a helper available to assist with the application, especially for the back of your head. Be aware that at-home highlighting carries a higher risk of uneven color, brassiness, and damage compared to professional services.
What aftercare is essential for maintaining healthy, highlighted hair?
Proper aftercare is crucial for maintaining the health and vibrancy of highlighted hair. Start by using sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners formulated for color-treated hair. These products are gentler and help to prevent the color from fading quickly. Deep conditioning treatments should be incorporated into your routine at least once a week to replenish moisture and strengthen the hair.
Additionally, limit your exposure to heat styling as much as possible, and always use a heat protectant spray when heat is necessary. Avoid prolonged sun exposure, as UV rays can fade the color and damage the hair. Consider using a leave-in conditioner or hair oil to provide extra hydration and protection throughout the day. Regular trims are essential to remove split ends and keep your hair looking healthy and well-maintained.